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THE INDIAN FAUNA 



species of civet-cat, and is collected when they are closely confined in cages, either 

 by being scooped out of the scent-gland with a spoon or scraped from the walls 

 of the cage. The scent is always recognisable, but most so when the animal is 

 irritated, on which occasion it drops the odoriferous matter in lumps from the gland, 

 although as a rule this takes place only every two or three weeks. 



On the Malabar coast, somewhat widely separated from the habitat of the 

 Indian civet, lives another species, the Malabar civet (V. civettina). A smaller 

 species is the rasse (V. malaccensis), distinguished by the absence of a crest, the 

 stronger and more curved claws, the short first toe of the fore-foot, the slender body, 

 and the more pointed nose. Its average size is 22 inches exclusive of the tapering 

 tail which measures 16 inches. In colour it varies from brownish grey to yellowish 



. 



INDIAN CIVET. 



brown, and it is striped and spotted with black or dark brown on the back and 

 sides. 



In many cases these stripes and spots are indistinct or absent. There is a grey 

 spot in front of the eye and another behind the ear ; the head is grey or brownish 

 grey and the chin usually brown. The feet are brown or black and the tail, which 

 is 16 inches long, is marked with alternate black and white rings. Including the 

 tail, the rasse averages 38 inches in length. It is often referred to a distinct 

 genus, Viverricula. 



The range of this civet includes all India with the exception of the north-west, 

 south-western Asia, Ceylon, Java, Socotra, the Comoro Islands, and Madagascar. 

 As it is the only civet common to Asia and Madagascar, it may have been intro- 

 duced into the island by man, as it is frequently tamed and kept in cages by the 

 Malays. It lives in holes in the ground or among rocks and dense bushes, but 



